One look that never goes out of style is flawless skin. While we can’t all be born with a perfectly even-toned and glowing face (is anyone?), we can fake it with a good makeup routine.
Creating a good base will not only make you look effortlessly glamorous, it will also help make the rest of your makeup look amazing. Keep reading to discover the 5-step process to a fabulous makeup base.
Preparation
First things first, you need to cleanse and moisturise your face before taking out your cosmetics.
Wash your face with a cleanser that is suitable to your particular skin type. Hydrating cleansers will work best with dry skin and oil free cleansers will be ideal for oily skin types. The cleanser will ensure that your skin is perfectly clean of any dirt or oils that could stop your makeup from going on smoothly, or that could cause the cosmetics to rub off quickly.
Once you are finished cleansing, use a toner and then a moisturiser to soften and prepare the skin of your face. As before, you need to be certain that the moisturiser is suitable to your skin type. Dry skin will require a thicker product that prevents flaking, normal skin can do well with hydrating solutions, and oily skin will work best with a water-based moisturiser.
Primer
Select a good primer and gently pat it onto the skin. Primers even out your complexion, smooth and soften your skin, and ensure that the makeup stays in place throughout the day. While this step may not seem like much, it is one of the most important in achieving a flawless look.
Concealer
The next step is concealer. This will help you cover any unevenness or redness, such as marks, scars, blemishes, or dark circles. Obviously, finding a concealer that matches your skin tone is the goal. However, different tones cover different inconsistencies; green helps to cover red and orange helps to counteract dark under-eye circles. It can be useful to have a concealer palette so that you can blend colours as needed.
To apply, simply place a little on the area you want to conceal and dab it lightly with your fingers to blend it in. The gentle dabbing will help to work the product in rather than wiping it around and spreading it out. You want to conceal that one specific spot rather than cover everywhere. The dabbing also allows you to build up as much as you need.
Foundation
Foundation is the essential ingredient in a flawless makeup base. The perfect foundation is an exact match to your skin tone. The best way to ensure you have the right colour is to have a professional colour-match you. But before you purchase, go outside into natural light and check that the colour still matches both your face and neck. Do not just match it with the skin on your hand, as this can vary quite substantially from your face tone.
Your foundation can be applied by hand, brush, or sponge. This will depend on what you feel most comfortable with, and what the product is designed to work with. Pour some foundation onto the back of your hand, and apply to the face, starting in the centre and working out. It is best to apply it using downward strokes, so that the small hairs on your face (everyone has them) sit flat.
The purpose of the foundation is to even out your skin tone and remove colour. You can add colour back in later with bronzer and blush. Remember to blend your foundation down your jaw line, neck, under the eyes, and ears, to create a seamless look.
Highlighter and Bronzer
Once the foundation has been applied, your face is neutrally coloured all over, with no distinction between the various features. This is when you need to use a highlighter and bronzer to contour the features of your face. Use the highlighter to mark the lines of your nose, cheekbones, and jaw – anywhere that the light will reflect off and you want to stand out. Simply apply a little product and gently work it out over the area.
With bronzer, apply it to areas you might consider “negative space”. It goes in the hollows of your cheeks, under your jawline, anywhere that you want to shade in order to make your beautiful bone structure stand out. It’s not that you want to hide those areas, just simply shade them in order to complement other features.
Blend both bronzer and highlighter so they create a naturally contoured look. You don’t want harsh lines; just gentle shading and a natural glow.
Once you have created your makeup base, you can now apply the rest of your makeup for a long lasting and beautiful appearance.
The Butterfly 